Coming Home
by B4R70N
Summary: Molly MacRay was taken from her family when she was just a toddler. Now 23 she's moved back to Charlestown to find the family she lost, and a love she didn't count on.
1. Chapter 1

Molly MacRay say at the end of the bar watching the stairs. The gentle pressure of the folded photo in her back pocket reminded her of why she was there, waiting amongst the Charlestown regulars. One man in thick frame glasses sat himself next to the jukebox feeding it singles and keeping popular Irish bands playing. Another, who had arrived shortly after Molly and immediately grabbed her attention, laughed at the expense of some larger man with a pug face.

Molly watched him for a few minutes, the way his lips wrapped about the opening of his beer, how his face lit up when he smiled. He was happy, something Molly couldn't remember being. She watched as he took another swig from his beer, shaking the bottle at his friend," I'm out, this round's on me."

Molly switched her attention to her beer as he walked over to the bar. He stood next to her and the smell of his cologne devoured her senses and she risked a glance in the mirror above the bar, his grey blue eyes locked with hers and she felt the heat creep into her cheeks

"Hey Jem, grab me a J.D. back!" The pug faced one yelled to him.

"Hold yer fuckin' horses Gloansy!" Jem called back." Hey Seamus, four beers, one with a J.D. back for my bitch over there." He thumbed at Gloansy. As the bartender nodded and started opening the beers. "So what's a pretty thing like you lookin for to come down those stairs?"

"I'm just waiting on a friend." She lied he had caught her off guard and she hadn't noticed that he was watching her.

"You aren't a Townie, I know the local girls. So where are you from?" Jem smiled and licked his bottom lip leaning in a little closer to her. Molly became suddenly self conscious under his waiting gaze. Her boots over lapped her jeans, and her shirt hung off her shoulder haphazardly exposing the strap to her bra. But it was her curly red hair that stood out from the other women, a trait she inherited from her mother.

"From here originally, but I've moved around the state a lot. Figured I've been gone long enough it's time to come back, maybe find what I've been looking for." She felt awkward, it wasn't that she needed anything, she wanted to know her family. She lost them when she was 3, and it was just time.

"Well sweetheart, look no further. What you've been looking for it right in front of you." He smiled wickedly, his fingers danced over her bare shoulder and he moved a loose curl. She shied way from his contact, adjusting her shirt so it sat on her shoulder properly. He smiled at her discomfort.

"Apparently whoever yer waitin for stood you up. What's his name, I probably know him."

"Doug MacRay." Her voice was quiet and Jem's demeanor changed. He stood abruptly and his brows furrowed as he went to speak. The sound of Gloansy yelling caused them both to look towards the door way. A broad shoulder man ducked to enter the basement. He stood at least a head taller than Jem.

"Hey Dougie!" Jem yelled out waving him over as Doug brushed past a skinny blonde." There's someone here who's been waitin on ya."

Doug came to rest next to Jem, looking at Molly questioningly. "Who's this?" He nodded towards her and she felt like she should just get up and leave, never return to Charlestown again. Not even sure if he would remember her. It had been 20 years, he had clearly moved on. Maybe she didn't matter, maybe she never had. The realization of him not wanting anything to do with her hit her hard now that he was in front of her. Her big brother, her remaining family who she couldn't even recall.

She leaned forward slightly and pulled the folded photo from her pocket handing it to Doug. He unfolded the photo as Jem looked between them then at the photo as Doug swallowed hard. He ran a hand over his jaw, his mouth set in displeasure, "Where the fuck did you get this?" His eyes bore into her as she shifted in her seat.

"It was given to me by my foster family when I turned 18. It was in my file, along with your name..." She trailed off as he looked at the photo then at her. Jem looked at the photo, then at her, then at Doug.

"You gotta be fuckin kiddin me. What's yer name beautiful?" Jem stood next to Doug like a guard dog, both of them with disbelieving looks on their faces.

"Molly MacRay."


	2. Chapter 2

Doug stared at the photo in his hand for a moment before handing it over to Jem. He studied the photo of the MacRay's, a family from long ago and one forgotten by all but three people. A family Jem used to envy. He dropped the photo on the bar and walked away as Doug took the stool next to Molly mumbling some sort of heavy accented blasphemy.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ." Doug spoke to the bar before clearing his throat. " I had just turned eighteen. And the social worker wouldn't tell me where you were. Fuckin' prick told me not to bother. That dad has already signed off on a closed adoption. The bastard didn't even tell me, and I had just been to see him. Fuck." He ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he exhaled.

"It fell through." A wave of uncertainty seemed to engulf her without warning. Maybe she had gotten her hopes up. Typical foster kid, always looking for a family. And here her real family was sitting right next to her trying to absorb this bomb, and more of a stranger to her then ever. Maybe this was a mistake, a big mistake.

"She stood and dropped a twenty on the bar. "Look I have to go. There's this thing I got to do, you can keep the photo." She thought briefly about patting his shoulder, but felt like that would have been to affectionate a gesture. "Goodbye Doug."

She wove her way through the bar crowd, mumbling an apology as she bumped into someone. The cool night air stung her nose as she breathed deeply when she was safely outside and away from the promise of what life could have been with a big brother to protect her. The sound of her boots hitting concrete faded into the chorus of angry car horns as she approached Warren St. and the flow of traffic increased.

"Hey!" The shout accompanied by the sound of heavy, fast foot falls drew her attention and she turned. Jem caught up to her and stopped as he caught his breath. "Where the fuck d'you think yer goin?" he panted, his blue grey eyes questioning her.

"Home." She spoke flatly and turned heading towards the bus for North Station. Jem grabbed her and turned her to him, holding both her arms. "You think you can drop a bomb like that on my brotha and just walk out? Not gonna happen."

"What are you going to do? Throw me over your shoulder and take me back to him?" Her annoyance was getting the best of her, and Jem became her target.

"Sweetheart, if I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder it's my bed yer goin' to." He smiled at her. He ran his hands down her bare arms, his muscles flexing in a delicious way as he released her. "Listen," he spoke softly, almost soothingly." let me give you a ride home, a pretty little thing like you shouldn't be walkin' alone out here this time a night.

"You don't even know where I live." She began. She wasn't really honest when she told him she had moved back to Charlestown.

"If it's in the Town I can find it."

"I lied, I live in Lynn." He looked at her with mild amusement.

"I knew you lied, a chick that looks like you doesn't go unnoticed around here. Not by locals. You dress to..." He motioned to her pants tucked into worn boots" Let's just say ya don't dress like a yuppie. I'll drive you home."

She reluctantly agreed, the blue line didn't exactly appeal to her at this time a night, and she had to admit, Jem's smile, his voice, his eyes, and they way his "Irish Pub Boxing" shirt fit just right had her mind going a mile a minute. She had needs like everyone else, and the less likely she was to see the guy again the better. " I live by the pond. Those apartments between Equitable and Sovereign."

"Alright, come on beautiful."

She slipped into the passenger seat of his beat up F150, sitting in silence as they climbed onto the highway heading towards Revere. Molly glanced over at Jem, his eyes focused on the empty expanse of black top in front of them. His profile was defined even in the darkness of the cab, he looked over his shoulder and swapped lanes. When he looked back at the road and risked a glance at her, smiling and licking his lips.

"So ya just gonna stare at me this whole time or ya gonna say somethin'?" Molly crossed her legs and turned slightly towards him, the motion causing her shirt to slide off her shoulder. He glanced at her bare shoulder smiling again. Before shaking his head.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" She asked innocently, licking her lips as the headlights of a car in the south bound lane, briefly illuminated the cab.

"Of course I do, pretty little thing like you. If you weren't Dougie's little sister you'd be coming home with me." He removed one hand from the wheel and placed it on her knee, slowly sliding his hand up, coming close to where her body was begging him to touch. He pulled his hand away quickly, waving a finger in her direction "But you're Dougie's sister."

Molly laughed, this was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous. She undid her seat belt and moved closer to him. Leaning into him as her hand slid up his thigh and he swallowed hard. "Don't worry, I won't tell if you don't tell." She kissed his neck and nipped the lobe of his ear, her hand squeezing the growing bulge in his pants.

"You sure you want to do this?" She unzipped his pants, watching his jaw clench as he scanned the road for cruisers. She worked her hand into his boxers and wrapped it around his shaft, tugging it free of his pants to the sound of a slight moan.

"Sweetheart, you're gonna get me in trouble." He shifted his hips as her hand gripped tighter.

"Jem, I haven't even gotten started." He lifted his arm as she lowered her head into his lap, biting his bottom lip and grabbing a fist full of her red curls controlling how fast she moved. Enjoying the pressure of her mouth as he pulled into the break down lane and put the truck in park.


	3. Chapter 3

Jem pushed her head down further as he groaned her name, the warm liquid filling her mouth. His chest rose and fell rapidly as she shuffled around her bag for her bottle of water before opening the door spitting and rinsing her mouth. The cabin illuminated briefly and she felt Jem shift as he readjusted his pants.

"Now that's fuckin romance," he said as he put his hand on her knee. "There's gum in the glove box." She opened the glove box and shifted through papers pretending not to notice the 9 casually placed on to. The steady tick singled that they were pulling back on the highway as she chewed the gum and mentally kicking herself for being so careless.

"You know mean people suck, nice people swallow." Jem's half smirk graced his face as he teased her with that old line. His hand had moved to her inner thigh and he rubbed his thumb slowly over the fabric of her pants, slowly moving his hand further up.

"I never said I was nice, besides I don't see you returning the favor." He tugged on her knee signaling for her to open her legs wider and cupped the front of her pants as she did so, pushing hard against the seam of the fabric.

"Well, I'm drivin'. Besides cock's not my thing." he pushed harder as he worked his hand up and down. A moan escaped her lips as her nails dug into his shamrock tattoos.

"Cum for me sweetheart."

"Oh fuck." She squeezed his arm as his hand worked faster and he pushed harder against her jeans, a wave of heat enveloped her body as she cried his name inside the trucks cabin. "Jesus Christ I needed that." She panted, as Jem returned his hand to the wheel.

"One good turn deserves anotha." He laughed. He took the exit and passed over the bridge, and she told him where to go. He pulled into an empty spot outside her building. "Well this is where I leave ya."

She hoped out his truck and reached for her bag. Inhaling deeply, "You wanna come up?" He looked at her surprised. And started to shake his head no and stopped with his head slightly cocked looking pensive.

Jem killed the engine and got out of the car." Why the hell not." She started walking to her building and Jem caught up. The only break in the silence was the the beep of him arming his trucks alarm. He walked close to Molly and put his arm around her shoulders deliberately pushing her bra strap down.

"I can't wait to get you outta those clothes. Ya full bush or shaved? I bet a landing strip."

"You're a regular charmer aren't you." She walked up the stairs to her apartment, the hallway filled with the delicious smell of spanish food. Jem grabbed at her behind as she put her keys in the lock. He spun her and pinned her to the wall, kissing her hard as he ran his hands down her sides to cup her bottom. Jem held her to him with one hand as he reached for her keys and turned them in the lock. He pushed her back into the apartment and dropped her keys on the floor as he worked his hands under her shirt to pull the fabric over her head. The weight of the door making it shut automatically.

"Hold your horses," She pushed his hands away after he pulled her shirt off." Let me turn on the lights." She turned on the light in her small apartment, boxes dotting the room, and picked up her keys and dropped them on the counter with her bag. Jem picked up a paper clipping with a number circled on it.

"So yer thinkin about movin to the town? Cook St.?" He held the paper up, and she took it from him putting it back on the counter and pulling at his shirt. She pulled him into a deep kiss and his hands found the clasp to her bra.

"I'm not thinkin' about it. I am as of yesterday." He lifted his arms as she pulled his shirt off. Molly ran her fingers over his chest taking in the feel of his firm muscles before shoving him backwards on the couch. He laughed as she straddled him sucking and biting on his lower lip.

"Sweetheart, don't ya want ta go to the bedroom?" He pushed his hands down the back of her pants digging his nails into the tender flesh as she ground against the bulge in his pants.

"It's only 10. We'll have plenty of time for the bedroom later."

"A girl after my own heart."


	4. Chapter 4

The sun beating through the window was what woke Jem. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, looking over at Molly's sleeping form. The sun lit the room entirely and he could see the random line of beauty mars dotting the pale skin of her back. He smiled at her tattoo and wondered if she knew Doug had the same MacRay one.

He trailed his rough calloused fingers up her side lightly circling the scar just under her ribs. He gathered her hair away from her neck and kissed the sun warm flesh before gently biting at her ear lobe. Molly made a slight sound before turning her face further into the pillow. Jem smiled before pulling her hair up to expose the back of her neck. He stopped as he ran his thumb over a circular scar that sat in the curve of her neck. Jem studied the shape. The scar was dotted, and the circular shape reminded Jem of what a mouth looked like. He kissed the spot then looked around her bedroom.

Molly's room had character. That was the only way to describe it. Every inch of wall space was covered in posters and computer print outs. The back of her bedroom door was a map of the state, and Jem found it the most interesting. Small pins dotted the map as far North as Haverhill, and as far South as Barnstable. Each one with a last name attached to it.

"Fuck." He mumbled as he scooped up his boxers and pulled them on. His eyes traveled to her bureau. It sat under a Bruins flag, the drawers hung slightly open and a ragged old Bruins teddy bear sat on top. A smile spread across Jem's face as he walked over and picked it up flipping the bottom edge of the discolored jersey. "James Coughlin". He touched the bear to his lips as he recalled when his mother gave it to him. They had just gotten back from his first Bruins game when he was ten. Neely, after his favorite player. The only time it ever came off the shelf was when his mother babysat Molly, and he would give it to her to play with. When she turned three he decided it was time to part with it and he gave it to her as a present.

Jem put the bear down as he fought back memories of the mess that happened after. But he couldn't believe that she still had the it.

Jem was searching through the fridge when a mumbled "morning" drew his attention. Molly stood in the door way rubbing the sleep from her eyes with his "Irish Pub Boxing" shirt. The fabric just reached mid-thigh and he found himself wondering if she was wearing underwear. She shuffled through cabinets removing dishes and a box of cereal before meeting him at the fridge.

"If you're hungry you're welcome to cereal. I don't cook." She reached in and grabbed the milk skimming her knuckles across his firm stomach.

"I noticed." He gestured to the containers of leftovers.

"Don't judge me." She slapped his chest playfully. "Go sit." He took a seat and she sat next to him, her bare knee pressed into his thigh. Making him unsure if he'd be able to make it through breakfast without bending her over the table. He ran his hand up her thigh stopping at a group of semi circular scars and studying them with his thumb.

"Cheese grater." He looked at her surprised and she brushed his hand away. Self-consciously she stretched his shirt over her knees covering the scars. He studied her movement as she reached a delicate hand for the sugar bowl. Jem's eyes traveled down her arm to her shamrock tattoo then to the shiny pink scar of a burn that took up the palm of her hand. Instinctively she folded her hand partly closed hiding the spiral pattern.

"The fuck's that from?" He stopped eating and looked at her expectantly.

"A stove. This was a one night stand, not a show and tell." She snapped as anger and hurt flashed behind her brown eyes.

"What the fuck happened to ya Molly?" She dropped her spoon with a clatter on the table and pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes.

"I can't do this Jem, please." Her voice cracked and her shoulders shook as she fought back the memories that still terrified her. Jem placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to him. She pushed away from him as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Please go." Her eyes pleaded with him as she got up, walking to her room as she pulled his shirt over her head. She was tugging on the pervious nights clothes as she picked up his.

"Go..." Her voice was weak and her hands trembled as she held his clothes out to him. Her scars more visible in the sunlight.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Molly got Jem out the door she lost it. Her shoulders shook as tears spilled from her eyes. She slid down the door to hold her knees as the memories of that one night burned through her recent ones removing what little happiness she had felt in Jem's arms. She was terrified, tired, and confused as she reached for her bag, digging for the bottle of water and pulling her meds from the bottom. Between her shallow gasps of air she managed to down her the funny colored pills. Molly lay on her side and curled into a ball, the worn linoleum of the floor was cool against her temple as her breathing returned to normal and her tears ceased to flow.

"Fucking anxiety." She muttered to herself as she stretched onto her back wiping away the streaks left by her tears. It had been five years and the only thing that she had managed to do what stop looking over her shoulder.

Molly loaded the last box into the moving van before handing the keys over to the landlord. She was thankful to finally leave, but terrified of what life in Charlestown would bring. Doug hadn't tried to contact her, and neither did Jem. She was afraid that maybe Jem had told Doug. But at the same time she didn't think that he really gave a shit.

She drove the half hour through traffic to Charlestown. She looked up at the white siding of her new duplex, watching as a young women jogged past and up the stairs into the adjoining home. She breathed deeply before pulling the van into the driveway. The chill of fall was starting to set in on Boston and she felt it as the wind picked up. The weight of the envelope felt heavy in her hand as she dumped the keys out and turned them on the key ring before trying them in the backdoor. The squeak of the door hinges echoed in the emptiness of the kitchen, and the outside chill seemed to have crept into the entirety of the house.

"Better get started." She breathed in the smell of the new paint and turned to leave, walking into something hard and her feet came out from under her on the slick hardwood.

"Fuck, sorry Molly. I didn't mean to give ya a heart attack." Jem grabbed her before she could fall, pulling her to him. He breathed in the familiar scent of her jasmine and vanilla hair and held her for a moment before letting her go and taking a step back. He looked at her awkwardly as he took a step down a stair and leaned against the railing.

Molly opened her mouth and then closed it again. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she remembered her reaction and they way she had shoved him out the door. She shoved her hands in her pockets and shuffled her shoes against the porch. Jem watched her actions, trying to figure out what he should say to her. He felt like crap for getting so angry for something that wasn't his business. And it didn't take long for him to put two and two together.

"So...I...I wanted to say I'm sorry for the other day. I shouldn't have pushed where I wasn't welcomed." He rubbed the top of his head and half smiled at her. His blue eyes seeming full of sadness. "It's just that yer Dougie's lil' sistah. And I want to get the fucker that did that to you."

"Yeah well... being related doesn't make family." Molly's voice had an edge of irritation to it that told Jem not to push any further.

"Give him a chance. He's been on edge since you told him. I've never seen him bounce from happy to angry to sad and back again. " Jem took a step forward and she took a step back bumping into the storm door. Molly looked at him her brown eyes where angry, but behind the anger he saw her vulnerability. He reached out and ran his knuckles gently down her cheek before stepping up and pressing her against the storm door. She looked up at him with doe eyes as he took her chin and kissed her. Jem made sure it was long and slow, not hungry and rushed, no promise of sex. Just a kiss that she needed, sweet and passionate.

Molly's resolve and part of the wall she had spent her life building up melted away as Jem kissed her. She couldn't recall a single moment in her romantic history that someone had kissed her like that. She placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"Jem, this isn't- it wasn't..." She searched for the right way to word things." You don't have to be here. That night, it wasn't anything special it didn't mean...fuck." She looked down at her hands as she spoke, not sure what she was trying to say. Jem put his hands on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

"You're someone important that's been gone a long time. Shit will adjust, Doug will come around. In the mean time how about I help you move shit in. Then maybe we can christen the place." A devilish smirk spread across his face and he kissed her nose before walking to the truck without her reply.

The sun was setting as Jem placed the last box on the counter. Their coats lay in a heap on the floor discarded as the day wore on. Molly leaned against the counter and watched as he drank down the last of his soda. Watching the way his lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle and thinking about what else she had seen between those lips. She shifted her legs as she felt the familiar pulse between her thighs.

Jem walked over to where Molly way leaning and stood next to her. He trailed his fingers gently down her spine and watched as she closed her eyes and relished in his touch. He lifted the hem of her shirt and skimmed his hand along the bare flesh of her back, moving directly behind her. Jem's other hand moved the mass of Molly's curls away from her neck and he gently pressed his warm lips to her chilled flesh. She straightened as Jem wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he pulled her closer. Molly moved her hips against the front of his jeans and relished the small moan that slipped from his lips.

Jem placed his hands over hers and pressed them to the cold counter top. He skimmed his tongue over the curve of her neck and gently bit her earlobe as he breathed in her scent and released one of her hands. He skimmed his nails over the base of her neck as he buried them in her curls, making a first as he kissed the scar that sat there. Molly reached behind her and rubbed the growing bulge in his pants.

"Hand back on the counter." Jem growled in her ear as his grip tightened in her hair. "Don't remove yer hands til I say so." Molly obliged and put her hand back on the counter. "Good girl." He bit the tender flesh of her scar and Jem smiled against her skin as she gasped his name. Jem released her other hand as he felt her relax against him.

Jem skillfully unbuttoned her pants with one hand and pushed his hand down the front of her pants. The fabric of her lace underwear was soft against his fingers as he moved under the fabric. He pressed his lips to her neck again as ran his fingers in circles around her hard nub. She pressed into him, part trying to get away from his mischievous fingers and partly to feel him pressed against.

Molly moved from side to side feeling him grow bigger from the movement. His throaty groan and pause in movement told her that he was enjoying the friction she was causing. His grip on her hair slackened before his hand fell away to together. Molly turned her face to his has he moved his hand to her hip and picked up his pace on teasing her. Jem's eyes locked with Molly's, dark and needy as his nails dug into her hip and stopped her movement. Jem kissed Molly hard as he pushed two long fingers inside her wet center and she gasped into his mouth at the sudden movement.

"I'm not interruptin' am I?" Jem removed his hand quickly and took a step back. Molly's head snapped to the gruff voice. As Doug's large frame filled the doorway, anger written on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

Jem held his hands in front of him as Molly turned away and buttoned her pants. Cursing under her breath as she looked at Jem. She looked back at Doug and a feeling of shame crept into her stomach as a look of betrayal stood behind his eyes as he looked at Jem. Doug didn't take his eyes of him as he crossed the kitchen in two large strides and grabbed Jem by the collar of his shirt, slamming him into the wall.

"Doug don't!" Molly begged as she watched Doug's fist come in contact with Jem's stomach. Jem doubled over immediately as the air was forced from him lungs. He pushed his head into Doug's ribs as he swung, the awkward angle of Jem pressed into his body caused both men to lose balance. Tumbling to the floor in a tangle of limbs as Molly stood next to them to shocked to move.

She watched as Jem straddled Doug and his fist came down on his cheek and split the delicate skin. An involuntary grunt was force from Doug before he swung at Jem and connected with the smaller mans mouth. The unexpected force of the hit through Jem off balance and he fell to the side as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He laid on the floor next to Doug both men panting from the small spat. Jem cast a sideways glance at Doug as he bought the back of his hand to his lip.

"Feel bettah?"

"A little. She's my fuckin' sister dude. How could you?" The tone of Doug's voice was all to like when he found that Molly way being adopted. And Jem's heart broke a little for the friend, and man he looked up to. "And yer ten years older than her. When were you gonna tell me?"

"I know brotha... I know. It just happened..." Jem trailed off as he looked at Molly, she stood with her hand over her mouth and wore the same fragile look in her eyes that he had seen earlier that week. He wanted so badly to fix what had been broken, but he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't get his own shit together, how could he help her.

"You fuck this up, or hurt her. I'll fuckin' kill ya." Doug groaned as they moved and leaned against the wall. His ribs and cheek stung from Jem's strikes and the blood was becoming sticky. Doug looked at Molly, her curly red hair framed her face as she dug through a box labeled towels and removed two.

He couldn't help but notice how much Molly looked like their mom. She stood over the sink running the towels under water and wringing them out. Doug smiled softly as she handed him a towel for his cheek. His gaze followed her as she kneeled next to Jem and pressed the damp cloth to his lip and gently patted at the blood that had began to drip own his chin.

Jem's hand closed around Molly's wrist as she patted at the blood and her brow furrowed and she quickly looked towards Doug. He slid his hand over hers as he took the towel from her and looked at Doug. "How the fuck'd ya know to come here?" Doug now had Molly's undivided attention as he brown eyes bore into him.

"I saw yer fuckin' truck outside, then the moving van. You don't know anybody moving, at least not anyone who can afford this." He waved a hand at his surroundings. "So I figured I would check it out. Then I see you with a hand down my kid sistah's pants." The last sentence still held a bite to it as Molly and Jem looked at him.

"Bull-Fahkin'-shit. I ain't evah followed a borad home. How'd you know Douggie?"

Doug laughed, a relaxed laugh that made Jem and Molly smile. "You wrote down the fahkin' address dumbass." Jem shook his head and laughed as he handed the towel to Molly.

"We cool?"

"Yeah, we cool. Not like it would mattah anyway ya bastid."

Molly stood, the irritation of being spoken about like she wasn't there finally showing. She nudged Jem in the leg with her foot," You two done with your fucked up bonding moment?"


	7. Chapter 7

Slowly the days turned into weeks and the winter months brought with it the bite of cold and promise of snow. Molly walked Newbury Street and her nose began to sting as the temperature slowly dropped. She made her way through the throngs of people and pick pockets looking for a particular jewelry store. Her first and final stop for a Christmas present for Jem. She had been saving for a few weeks and the stress of holiday shopping was still new to her and she found herself wondering if she was being stupid.

Her cold fingers ran delicately over the glass top of the display case as she eyed the Celtic crosses. The shades of gold twinkled enticingly under the display lights as she searched for the right one for him. A saleswomen stood behind the case and sized Molly up before putting on her false smile. _Probably thinks she can upsell me_, Molly thought to herself.

"How may I help you?" Her false smile was accompanied by an equally false cheery tone.

"I would like that cross and a 20 inch gold chain to match." Molly pressed her finger to the glass directly above the one she wanted as the women eyed her skeptically.

"Are you sure? That one is very expensive. I'm sure we have other that-"

"I want that one and a 20 inch gold chain." She smiled brightly." And I'll be paying in cash." Molly spoke sternly as the saleswoman's false smile faded. The women tallied her total, pressing the keys harder than Molly thought necessary. Accepting the fold of hundreds Molly handed her and inspecting each one carefully.

"Everything seems to be in order. Have a wonderful holiday, Miss." Her smile returned as she handed molly the bag, and Molly could have sworn a muscle in her jaw twitched from how tightly it was clenched.

"Bah- Humbug." Molly said as she stuffed the bag in her pocket, enjoying the smile dropping from her face. She hid her own smile as she left the store and walked down the stairs to the "T", checking to make sure her jacket pocket was still zipped as a young, scruffy kid bumped into her.

Snow had begun to fall when she got on the bus a Government Center. Dropping now in steady, heavy flakes and slowly coating the sidewalk. She smiled to herself when she saw the lights in her home where on and Jem's truck parked in the driveway. As she walked up to the house she placed a hand on the hood of the truck, trying to detect some heat. It was stone cold and the snow was starting to collect. Molly couldn't hide her smile as she opened the door and the warmth consumed her. Shaking the snow from her hair she stepped from her boots and closed the door, hanging her coat and placing the smooth package on the counter before slipping out of her damp jeans. She frowned at the pink tint to her thighs which still felt as cold as outside and contrasted with her purple underwear.

The smell of the pine tree hit her hard as she walked into the leaving room expecting Jem to be asleep on the couch. His bare back was to her and his pants hung dangerously low on his hips as he hung a decoration from the tree. Molly cleared her throat and he jumped.

"Hey Mol, didn't think you'd be back yet. Surprise?" He spoke the last word as a question, not sure if she would like the tree or the ornaments the Macy's women convinced him to buy. Jem looked at Molly's bright eyes as she inspected the tree and ran her fingers over a glass orb. His mind immediately went in the gutter even as he searched her face for a sign of enjoyment. The box in his pocket seeming to weigh a ton.

"I never had a real Christmas tree. Never actually had a real Christmas, the fosters never kept me long enough." Molly's voice shook slightly as she looked at the various ornaments and their bright colors before turning to Jem.

He stood with his arms crossed over his bare chest with one hand holding his chin in a thinking gesture. Uncertainty written clear across his face. Molly ran her hands over his forearms and he embraced her in a hug, kissing her dampened curls. Her skin was still chilled from outside and gave Jem goosebumps as drops of water dripped onto his chest. She looked up at him as she hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans.

"I have a gift for you. I was going to wait 'til Christmas but now seems good." Jem's eyes followed the curve of her hips as she padded back into the kitchen humming some song he didn't know as she did so. His eyes warmed as a smile spread across his face and she held the plain package in both hands and a blush crept into her cheeks.

"Sorry I didn't wrap it...I actually just got it." She began to ramble as her nerves got the best of her, something that she never let happen. It was just the way that Jem would look at her sometimes made her feel like he actually cared about her, and that terrified her. She had learned to become self-reliant when she was young and made a promise to herself that she would never become dependent on another person. But the more time she spent with Jem the less she liked being alone.

Jem took the package from her hands, kissing her softly. Molly watched intently as his hands unfolded the plastic bag and pulled out the velvet box. He looked at her skeptically as his thumb slid over the black velvet. She swallowed the lump in her throat and her hands toyed with the hem of her shirt.

Relief swept over her as she saw a smile grace his lips and he pulled the cross from the box and the chain she had it put on. He ran his thumb over the Celtic design, weighing the dense metal. He turned and placed the packaging on the coffee table and put the cross around his neck. The heavy chain and the gold seemed to suit him perfectly as she looked at the cross. Her eyes traveling his body and stopping at the line of his boxers.

He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her, his hands cupping her bottom as he kissed her. Jem deepened the kiss, heat and want pulled into one as her cold damp curls brushed his cheek. He took a step back and fell onto the couch pulling Molly on top of him. Breaking their embrace momentarily, before pulling her into another mind-blowing kiss. His large rough hands slid over her thighs and under her shirt, pushing the fabric up to her chest and kissing her stomach.

Molly shifted her weight as Jems growing member pushed into her thigh. He groaned and grabbed her hips as she moved against him. The bulge in his pants fit perfectly into the wet spot between her thighs. His nails bit into the tender flesh as he controlled the pressure and movement as she grinded into him. Molly felt the heat building in her as she pulled him closer and dug her nails into his fighting Irish tattoo. Her name sounded like a growl as it slipped from his lips and he forced her to move faster as he shifted his hips under her.


	8. Chapter 8

Jem rested his forehead in the crook of Molly's neck, his brow furrowed as he focused on the friction she was causing. Every sigh and moan that escaped her lips bringing him closer to the edge as her hands left his neck and began to fumble with his pants.

"I want to feel you in me." Molly's words sounded like a plea to Jem's ears as he held her hands still and prevented her from getting what she wanted. He shook his head no and smirked devilishly as her full lips formed a small pout.

"I want you to use me to finish like this sweetheart. Just like this." He placed her hands on his shoulders before holding her hips and gently guiding her. Jem watched as Molly's lips parted slightly and her pink tongue moistened the bottom one. He bucked his hips slightly as her nails dug painfully into the tender flesh. And he pulled her face to his and kissed her hard as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Molly's pace had begun to quicken as she moved against him and moaned into his kiss.

Jem's hand traveled between them and he push his fingers hard against the wet spot that had formed. Enjoying the sounds that Molly was making as she used him for her own pleasure. Her eyes closed tight and her brow furrowed as the heat that had built threatened to burst against Jem's devious fingers.

"Look at me Molly. Don't close your eyes." It was becoming harder for Jem to hold off from his own release as she moved against his fingers. Her glazed brown eyes locking with his as she bit hard on her lip.

"Shit Jem." Jem rubbed his fingers hard against her as her nails dug deeper into his shoulders. That was all it took for Molly, the heat in her belly exploded into an indescribable bliss as Jem's blue eyes stayed locked with hers, watching her ride out the ecstasy. Her breathing became heavy as she removed her hands from his shoulders. Surprise crossed her face when she realized blood had begun to collect in the eight crescent moon shaped indentations. She folded into him, resting her forehead against his chest as he held her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"That's my girl." She felt Jem smile into her hair as she laughed a little, placing her hand on the bulge that remained in his pants. She leaned away from him and shifted her weight back to rest mostly on his knees. Keeping her gaze locked with Jem's as she undid his pants and reached into his boxers. Molly's hand pressed against his length stroking gently as she watched Jem's eyes close and his head lean back. He swallowed and a groan escaped his lips as Molly's thumb worked circles around the slick head.

Jem's nails dug lightly into Molly's hips as her hand continued to work. She leaned in and kissed him as she felt him twitch slightly in her grip. He moaned into her kiss as he pushed his hips into her hand, feeling her bring him closer and closer to the edge. His breathing quickened as her pace did the same and a small sheen of sweat gathered on his chest. His hips bucked into her hand and his nails dug deeper into his hips as he came, her pace never stopping until he was fully spent. Molly leaned her forehead against his heaving chest, listening to his breathing before getting off his lap and walking into the kitchen.

Jem heard the sound of running water as his breathing steadied. He gathered himself off the couch and climbed the stairs to her room. He stripped his pants off, pulling the velvet covered box from his pants after putting on a clean pair of boxers. Molly walked into the room and pulled off her shirt as she dug through her dresser for a night shirt. She pulled out Jem's Masshole one and climbed into bed, laying on her stomach and sighing. He swallowed hard and sat next to her on the bed.

He opened the box as Molly turned to look at him. The gold and emerald ring glittered in the light as Molly's mouth fell open. Her mind swimming with question's and hoping to god Jem wasn't popping the question.

"Jem what the-"

"It's not an engagement ring. Don't look so relieved. I was talkin' with Dougie and I figured it's been a few months and maybe we should make this official... if you want..." Jem trailed off, suddenly feeling foolish as Molly looked at him. He had thought about it for a while and was unsure of the way she would accept it, or even if Doug would okay it. But Doug gave him his blessing. And now his stomach knotted as he questioned what he had just done.

Molly still looked at him with her mouth slightly opened as she brushed her fingers over the surface. No one had ever given her anything like this before and she didn't think anyone ever would. She nodded her head at Jem. Relief swept his features as he pulled the ring from the box and slid it on her right hand.

"Do you know what kind of ring this is?" Jem asked his eyebrows raised slightly as Molly shook her head no. "It's a claddagh ring. The hands stand for friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart," Jem hesitated." The heart is for love." He looked at Molly, she looked at the ring inspecting it carefully, the heart facing inwards.

"When it's like this on your right hand, it means you're with someone but not married. When the heart faces out it means your heart hasn't been captured." He made quotations with his fingers as he explained what his mother had taught him. "When it's on the left hand facing out you're engaged. And when it faces in it means you're married." He finished, scratching his eyebrow with his thumb and looking at Molly expectantly.

She looked at Jem, a smile tugging at her lips and she pulled Jem to her and kissed him. "Awe Jem, I didn't know you could be so romantic. And here I thought you just enjoyed the sex."

He made a sound of feigned offense placing a hand over his heart as if wounded. His eyes taking on a puppy look before he rolled her over and stretched out next to her. Molly's head sat on his chest and she listened to the steady rhythm of his heart beat, tracing circles in the path of hair on his belly that led into his boxers. The wind outside had picked up and it shook the windows as the snow danced outside and Christmas lights winked in the windows of a neighboring house.

She inhaled deeply looking at the ring on her finger and then the scar on her palm. "Jem, there's something you need to know first."


	9. Chapter 9

Jem ran his thumb over the shiny spiral scar that decorated Molly's palm, the smell of jasmine in her snow damp hair filling his nose as he kissed the top her hear head. She shifted against him as she took a deep breath. The semi-circular scars on her thigh hidden against his boxers. He felt her unease as the seconds slipped by and she didn't speak.

"You don't have to tell me anythin' you know that, right?"

"I know, but there's a reason I had to wait 4 years before coming here. Before coming home..." She trailed off as Jem let go of her hand and she placed it on his stomach, her thumb rubbing the trail of hair that started at his belly button. She inhaled deeply, preparing herself.

"When I was seventeen what I was sent to live with this foster family out in the boonies. Do gooder family, big house, a son a little older than me. Andrei. They came from old money, that's what the social worker said. Told me I was lucky that a family was willing to take me in at my age. " Molly scoffed as she recounted the social workers snobby attitude."And things were alright for a little bit. The parents took off a lot, on "vacations" sometimes I'd wake up and they would be gone..."

_Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton had left for vacation almost a week ago and Molly felt the fragile bond between her and their son Andrei begin to fracture. They had a hard time seeing eye to eye and Molly had finally had enough._

_The music that had thumped throughout the house had finally stopped only to be accompanied by the shouting of him and his newest girlfriend. Molly stood at the stove as she heard their footfalls coming down the hall, and their argument became understandable._

_"Why the hell are you always like this, god you are such a fucking asshole!"_

_"You didn't seem to give a shit when you were blowing me in the locker room at school. Or was that a show for the rest of the guys?"_

_"Screw you Andrei! I can't believe I liked you."_

_"You already did, and don't pretend you didn't like it."_

_Molly kept herself in front of the stove. Not daring to turn around as she heard the sound of someone being struck and Andrei's nameless girlfriend stormed into the kitchen then out of the house and into the cold night. Andrei sauntered shirtless into the kitchen with the same self-assured walk he always had. He was strong and lean, with tousled dark hair and deep, piercing eyes. When Molly first saw him she thought he was attractive but quickly learned how controlling and manipulative he was. She tried to avoid being alone with him as often as possible, often locking herself in her room and blaring music while he made his own porn with some new girl._

_Molly withdrew from his touch as he trailed his fingers up her bare arm. He leaned close to her, his hot breath on her shoulder as his hand wrapped around her wrist. Molly tried to pull her wrist from his grip._

_"Relax Molly. I'm not hurting you am I?" She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at his hand around her wrist. His thumb pushed against the palm of her hand and she opened it. _

As Molly spoke to Jem she could still remember the way it felt when he ran his thumb over the palm of her hand. How it was so drastically different from the way Jem did the same thing now.

_Andrei kissed her neck and bit playfully at the skin. She instantly went to pull away but he wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her to him. Molly could feel him getting hard as she tried to pull away. His bare chest pressing against her and she wished she wore a t-shit instead of a tank top. Molly looked up into his sinister brown eyes as a wicked grin spread across his face. She stopped her struggle for just a moment as what was happening dawned on her._

_Andrei grabbed her free hand as she pulled away from him, the smell of burning flesh assaulting her senses as pain ripped through her hand. She screamed as tears clouded her vision and he let her drop to the floor as she cradled her throbbing, stinging hand._

_He walked around her, smiling and chuckling as he watched the tears slide down her cheeks. His hard on obvious through his gym shorts._

_"What the hell is wrong with you? You twisted fuck." Her voice caught in her throat as he grabbed a handful of her hair and made her stand. Andrei pulled her against his chest as she struggle to get away. Her nails digging into his wrist as he pulled her hair and forced her head to the side. She could feel his warm breath on her neck as he kissed the skin. She began to panic, begging for him to let go. She felt her skin break between his teeth as he bit into the flesh, small drops of blood sliding down her chest and soaking into her top. _

_He was laughing as she cried out in pain, her blood spraying from his mouth like a monster in a horror movie. He turned her to him, the stone of the counter digging into her back as the he loomed over her making her feel smaller than she ever had. She fought against him, hitting his chest and scratching his face before he pinned her wrists to her chest. The blood had began to ooze steadily down her shoulder as he bent his head to lick the crimson liquid. Andrei forced her to kiss him as her blood dripped down his chin and smeared her face. _

_Andrei effortlessly lifted Molly onto the counter, making the mistake of releasing her hands. She reached for the grater that sat decoratively against the wall. It came in contact with his cheek, barely scratching the skin as he grabbed her wrist._

_"You shouldn't have done that." He growled into her ear as he struck her and watched her head snap to the side, licking the blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth. Molly started fighting harder as the tears flowed freely from her eyes. Andrei began to pull her pajama pants down and she started to kick thinking' Dear God No! He's going to rape me!'. He hit her again and the room started to sway._

Molly's tears slipped freely from her eyes as she sat up and Jem held her and tried to console her. Telling her in hushed whispers that she didn't have to tell him. She shook her head telling him that he had to know what happened for him to understand as her anxiety began to suffocate her.

_Andrei had Molly's pants down and her continued movement aided in them coming off. He had her by the hair as she hit his chest with her fists, losing strength to fight him. He held the grater in his free hand and wiggled it at her like this was s game. He bought it to her face and she closed her eyes, bracing for the pain. The scream caught in her throat as a sharp pain followed by a burning sensation blossomed through her thigh. Andrei's hand covered her mouth as she tried to cry out again, pushing himself against her as the grater fell to the floor._

_His hands grabbed at her underwear and her blood smeared across his hand. The last of her strength beginning to melt away._

_"That's right," He spoke as he kissed her." Keep fighting, it'll be easier for you and better for me. You want this just as bad as I do." He whispered against his skin as the tears began to stop. And she stopped fighting. He released her and she slid from the counter, no longer able to support herself. _

_"You know it's really fucking boring if you don't scream." He walked out of her line of view as he spoke and she heard him shuffle through a drawer. As her eyelids became heavier."I guess, I'll just have to find another way to make you scream." He waved the large kitchen knife in her face, the metal shining maliciously in the kitchen light, and she just started at him to tired to scream. He knelt to her level, looking mad with her blood smeared wildly across his chin. For a moment he looked as though he regretted what he had done._

_Andrei put his hand on the back of Molly's neck and forced her to sit up. He pulled her to him and draped one arm over his shoulder as he rested his chin on top of the bite mark. "Sorry 'bout this."_

_The blade of the knife stung as it pushed into her skin, and she cried out one last time clinging to him as he twisted it. She whispered her question why before seeing his girlfriend walk through the door with a cop, a red hand print just visible on her face. Then everything went black._

"If I ever find the fucker I'm gonna kill him." Jem swallowed a lump in his throat as he held Molly to him. Swearing to himself that he would never allow anything to happen to her again. Molly's breathing came in hitches as she pushed away from Jem's grasp and began to dig through her night stand. She pulled out her medication and a water bottle, and held her breath as she swallowed the small pill, bringing her knees to her chin and sitting motionless. Her breathing began to steady and when it became sniffles she felt the bed move as Jem wrapped an arm around her. Molly kept her head down and wrapped her arms around him, knowing she was hugging him to tightly. But she didn't care anymore.

She wanted this, all of this.


	10. Chapter 10

Jem felt the anger sitting heavy in his chest as he sat at Doug's table. Barely able to contain it. Molly had told him everything, where the money was coming from, a pay off from his grandparents that was handled in a trust, enough to set her for life and always increasing and paying out in large checks every month. He couldn't figure out if the anger was aimed at her holding out for the these last months, or that she had waited so long to trust him.

He had studied the map that was now tacked inside Molly's closet. Just one pin out in the boonies. A little research and he knew the kid was at Harvard studying to be a doctor. He wondered if she knew he was so close. If he knew she was so close.

"We gotta do something Dougie." His jaw was set hard as he looked at Doug. The rain was coming in sheets and pounding the window, making i rattle in the frame as the wind swept hard down the small street. He hadn't said a word as Jem retold him everything Molly had said.

"We do nothin'." Doug looked hard a Jem before taking a sip of coffee and the first bite of his sub.

"What the fuck ya mean we do no-"

"We do nothin'. She doesn't need ta know where he is, and he sure as shit doesn't need to know where she is." Jem pushed roughly back from the table as he stood.

"That's fuckin' bullshit. She's your sistah and that fuckah deserves to die, you haven't seen the scars. I have, I've seen every mark that he's left on 'er. The pills she pops, the nightmares that make her scream and cry in 'er sleep. And you," He gestured to Doug who sat passively eating." You sit there and do shit. You jump at the chance to beat any fuckah that looks twice at Krista."

"She doesn't need us to get involved, clearly she's gettin' bettah. And us, you killin that kid isn't gonna make anythin' better. She'll always have the nightmares. McEvrett, the old bum in the alley outside Sully's, he's a Vietnam vet. Twenty years since and he still wakes up screaming. That kid being dead ain't gonna change it. And I'm not going to jail for it, neithah are you. Now sit the fahk down."

Jem went to walk away and faltered. Doug's words made sense, even if he didn't want it to be true, it was. The heist they had coming up made it even more important that they stay clear of cops. Molly would have to go on the back burner. Taking his seat across from Doug he leaned back and folded his arms across his chest.

"So what's this one lookin' like?"

Doug broke the heist down step by step, same way they always did. Nothing special just a decent sized take. Jem listened half-heartedly, his mind was wandering as Doug spoke. Molly was almost always in his thoughts. Everywhere he went he wondered what she was doing, if she would like flowers, or jewelry he saw in a store. Always he resigned not to get her anything, the claddagh ring was a huge deal for him. Never had he done something like that for a women. Not since his mother passed. The motion of Doug's hand in his face bought him back to reality and he looked blankly at Doug. Doug just shook his head. No longer contuning with what he had said, and content to eat his sub in silence.

Doug's hand fell heavy Molly's back door as he huddled under the small opening trying to seek some shelter from the rain. He had barely seen her since his fight in the kitchen with Jem. His heart beat thick, and he swallowed hard as Molly opened the door. The smile on her face faltered as she saw Doug, clearly not expecting him. In all honesty he had avoided her, half from guilt, half because he knew it would be hard to see her without Jem there.

Holding the door open to him she invited him into the kitchen. It look much more homely than when he was last there. His gaze caught the glint of the ring on her finger and guilt flooded his heart. He was such an asshole. He told Jem he had his blessing in taking the next step with her.

Like a kid waiting for Santa Jem had bounced from ring case to ring case as they walked around the jewelry store. Looking for a ring that just "jumped out" as Jem had put it. Doug had been content following him around with his hands in his jacket pockets, making indifferent faces as Jem pointed at things. He should have said no and dealt with the fight, now he was going to hurt his sister and his best friend, all in the name of money.

Doug removed his dripping jacket and sat at the kitchen table, putting his hands in front of him. He rolled a salt shaker between his large palms and spoke to them rather than meet her gaze. Taking the seat across from him much in the same protected fashion as Jem. Inhaling deeply the scent of cinnamon and apples that came from the candle on the stove as he spoke quietly.

"I want you to break up with Jem." Looking at his hands he barely dared to look at her.

" 'scue you?" Molly's eyebrows arched sceptically as she looked at him. "That's not going to happen."

"He's not good for you Molly." His voice was determined, and steady as he held eye contact. Muscles in her cheek tightened in anger, as her eyes threatened tears Doug knew she wouldn't let him see. Only Jem was allowed to see those.

"You have no right." Her voice wavered slightly," You have no right to tell me who's good for me and who isn't." The tone in her voice was flat and defiant, so much like their mom when she would fight with Mac. Still he pushed on.

"He's to involved, can't get shit through his head. It's dangerous for what we do." Not wanting to tell her exactly what they did he left it at the age old lie of demolition. Telling her that the last thing any of them needed was him getting distracted when laying explosives.

"Don't give me that shit Doug. You might be my big brother but you lost the right to a say in my life when you stopped trying! I was a kid in the fuckin' system and you let me rot in there because you couldn't get your shit together." Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she got up from the table and went to the sink. Running hot water she slammed around dishes, taking her anger out on them inside the sudsy water. Heat from the water turned her hands bright red but she refused to look again at Doug.

The sound of the chair on the linoleum stung her ears. Doug put his hands on her shoulders, and she turned to him. "I'm sorry Mol, I am so sorry." Doug's voice cracked slightly as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Molly's clenched, wet fists struck Doug's chest repeatedly. Feebel attempts to hurt him in some way. She didn't cry, all she felt was the anger at his words. Sorry wasn't going to make anything better. Her arms grew tired and she stopped hitting him and buried her face in his now damp shirt as he held her to him and rubbed her back. Swearing that he would never abandon her again.


	11. Chapter 11

Drops of sweat tickled Jem's face behind his "Scream" mask as he sat with Doug waiting. It wasn't even nine and the haze was setting over Boston. The sticky heat that came with every summer felt like a small piece of hell. It could be a cool seventy-two out and it could feel like eighty-five.

The only sound in the van was Desmond clearing his throat as they sat in awkward silence. Jem knew he was only half dedicated to the job. Molly ruled over this thoughts constantly. And he could feel her slowly seeping into even this haven. Krista didn't get it. She couldn't fathom anything that stretched beyond sex. He ran his thumb over the cross around his neck. A thousand thoughts going through his mind as he gazed past Gloansy's shoulder and out the windshield. The Manager's car pulled up and he tucked his cross into his shirt as he looked at Doug.

Doug's hand rested on the van's door handle as he squatted in the heat, his finger poised over the trigger of his glock. His eyes locked with Jem's, "Game time."

* * *

"What the hell was that!" Doug's voice reverberated off the walls of Jem's apartment. "You coulda gotten someone killed with that bullshit. The fuck were you thinkin'? Were you even thinkin' ta fuckin' begin with?" The anger was written across Doug's face and Jem felt nothing but complete indifference.

"You want her to leave me." Jem's voice was strangely calm and quiet. Doug almost thought he hadn't heard him speak. The cold look in Jem's eyes spoke volumes to Doug. He hurt Molly when he told her to, and now he hurt Jem. The only people in the world who were true family to him. Jem folded his hands in front of him, his knuckles bloodied and bruised from the beating he had dealt the theater manager. Shaking his head Doug took the seat across from him at the small ruddy table.

"You ain't there. Even when you are it's on your face you're thinkin' of her, half assin' the shit you're suppose ta get done. That shit you just pulled on the fucking job. For fucks sake, kid." Doug was at a loss for words. He couldn't explain his actions, even he didn't know his full reasoning. Part of him thought Molly would ruin this. Break up what had been building for years between him and Jem.

"So you figured tellin' her ta leave me would make it bettah?" Anger danced across his face and he pushed away from the table and walked to he fridge. Pulling out a Guinness he popped the cap on the counter and took a deep swig. Leaning against the counter he let the beer cool his throat before he pulled his shirt over his head.

"I love 'er Dougie." It was a simple statement. And Doug knew that it's wasn't an argument he was going to win. She wouldn't leave him and he wouldn't leave her. They were a train heading for disaster and Doug knew it.

"Nothin' good can come outta this." Doug spoke softly.

"Well, maybe somethin'... she's pregnant Dougie. I'm gonna be a dad." Jem's smile was sheepish. Doug felt his stomach drop.

"She's what?"

"Pregnant, twelve weeks... Crazy, right?"

"Crazy doesn't even begin ta fuckin' describe it." Despite his reservations Doug smiled. "I'm gonna be an uncle. Holy Fuckin' shit."

"And a God father. Me and Molly already talked 'bout it. I was thinkin' about poppin' the question. Not right now, I don't want her to think I feel obligated 'cause I knocked her up or anythin'. With or without yer permission. I'd rather you okay it though."

"Shit. I guess I might aswell say ya then."


End file.
